This invention relates to a pulse liquid feeder system of the type used in lubrication systems and the like and, more particularly, to such a pulse liquid feeder system of a unique form having preferably both broken line detection and flow rate detection. Thus, if any liquid flow line in the system being pulse fed should fail, the broken line detection of the system will immediately reveal not only that a liquid flow line has failed, but which liquid flow line has failed. Furthermore, with the unique detection of the pulse liquid feeder system, it is possible to detect the number of pulses supplied in a given period of time so as to determine liquid flow rate.
Various pulse liquid feeder systems have heretofor been provided such as the pulse lubrication feeder systems of industrial manufacturing presses and similar machines for lubricating certain of the important bearings thereof. For instance, as a prime example, large, high speed blank and draw presses used in the can making industry have multiple sets of crank arm bearings which must be retained liquid lubricated at all times during the high speed running of the press. This has been effectively accomplished through the use of pulse lubrication feeder systems.
A pulse lubrication feeder system, in this instance, may be comprised of, say, three feeder cylinders, each pulse lubricant feeding a set of bearings. Considering an individual feeder cylinder, liquid lubricant is alternately fed into opposite end, feeder chambers thereof to reciprocate a piston alternately movable from within one feeder chamber into the other feeder chamber. In this manner, with the piston in one feeder chamber, the feeding of liquid lubricant into that feeder chamber causes the piston to move into the other feeder chamber forcing liquid lubricant already in that feeder chamber to be forced into one of the bearings. This, followed by liquid lubricant feeding into the other feeder chamber causes the first feeder chamber to lubricate the second bearing, all of which is continued on an alternate basis.
By the use of multiple feeder cylinders in the same feeder system similarly liquid lubricant flow connected each to separate sets of bearings, one feeder cylinder of the system may be used to alternately feed liquid lubricant to the feeder chambers of the next and the next similarly for still the next. This is done by providing each feeder cylinder with intermediate chambers formed in the pistons thereof at opposite sides of the piston centerline but at all times spaced from the feeder chambers thereof. By directing the supply of liquid lubricant from a main supply through the intermediate chambers of one feeder cylinder for supplying the feeder chambers of another of the feeder cylinders, it is possible to provide such supply alternately to the feeder chambers of each feeder cylinder in order. This results in a highly efficient pulse liquid lubricant feeder system for pulse lubricating a multiplicity of bearings of a single machine.
Although the pulse lubrication systems of industrial manfacturing machines such as the blank and draw presses used in the can making industry have performed satisfactorily to the extent constituted, one of the principal difficulties therewith has been the lack of broken lubricant line detection. Of course, broken line detection in the lubricant flow line to the main lubricant supply for the overall pulse lubricant feeder system is relatively easy merely by a single flow detection device for that main supply line, but once the lubricant enters and leaves the feeder chambers of the individual feeder cylinders within the system, from that point on, broken line detection is much more difficult. Once the lubricant has left the various of the feeder cylinders, there is no indication of a broken lubricant flow line which could be detected from ahead any of the feeder cylinders, that is, from the main lubricant supply since the feeder cylinders will continue to feed lubricant therebeyond toward the particular bearings being pulse fed regardless a broken lubricant line beyond these cylinders. Thus, the only way to detect broken lubricant lines beyond the feeder cylinders of the system is to provide individual indicators in each lubricant line as close as possible to the bearing being fed so that a multiplicity of such indicators is required equivalent to the number of bearings being lubricated and this can become not only quite difficult due to the high speed movements of the bearing locations, but also quite expensive.
However, broken lubricant line detection is extremely vital as far as the bearings of a high speed industrial production machine, such as the blank and draw presses in the can making industry, are concerned. Obviously, lack of lubrication to any vital bearing under high speed conditions will quickly destroy that bearing requiring the shutdown of operation of the machine and the very likely total shutdown of an entire mass production line. Furthermore, the replacement of the damaged bearing in the production machine is time consuming and quite costly.
Another vital consideration in lubrication systems of high speed production machines is that of flow rate detection. In other words, it can be quite important to overall bearing life in high speed production machines to know the flow rate and constantly monitor that flow rate of the lubricant flow to each individual of the vital bearings. This is normally not done since, again, where pulse lubricant feeder systems are involved, the exact same problems are involved as with broken lubricant line detection, that is, the requirement that a flow rate detection device be incorporated in the lubricant line closely adjacent each of the bearings to be monitored with the consequent difficulties and expense.